Original Air Date: September 23, 1963
Writers: Allan Balter and Robert Mintz
Director: Byron Haskin
“Somewhere south of the Mongolian border, and north of the Tropic of Cancer, in that part of the world we call the Orient, a slumbering giant has shaken itself to wakefulness. Passed over in most histories as a nation forgotten by time, its close-packed millions in the short span of 20 years have been stirred to a fury by one man: Li-Chin Sung. A benevolent despot in his homeland, Sung stands as an irresponsible threat to peace in the eyes of the rest of the world.
William Lyons Selby (Sidney Blackmer) is the leading candidate for President of the United States –all the polls predict he will be the winner in the forthcoming election. However, somewhere in an Asian country (south of the Mongolian border and north of the Tropic of Cancer, presumably Communist China) a ruling warlord named Li-Chin Sung is fighting against the Americans. One of his associates, Ho Chi Wong, has developed a new temporary chemical process wherein he can appear and sound exactly like William Lyons Selby (he claims to have memorized every detail of Selby’s life). He must be periodically injected with a shot to keep up the façade as his outer skin becomes plastic and malleable such that he looks identical right down to the fingerprints –this whole process is the result of decades of research in molecular plasticity.
Thus, a plot is hatched by Li-Chin Sung to hijack the presidency. His associate Ho Chi Wong attacks the real Selby inside his hotel room, killing him and replacing his face with a stranger’s, giving Wong an alibi that he was attacked. Shortly thereafter, he is elected president and officially trades places with Selby. However, Vice President Theodore “Ted” Pearson grows suspicious when President Selby suddenly orders a retreat of all forces from the Ling Valley –an extraordinary gift to Li-Chin Sung and going against all of his campaign promises. They also go hunting together, and Selby has somehow now become a stellar shot as he shoots dead a nearby snake.
Selby attempts to take out Vice President Pearson in a similar bait and switch ploy that he accomplished on Selby, however by the end of the episode, Pearson discovers the plot. He exposes the etrue identity of Selby at a late-night party after evading a second attempt on his life while picking up Ambassador Lacour at the Columbia Hotel.
“To Theodore Pearson, not even so monstrous a crime as the assassination of William Lyons Selby justifies an act of war, because there is no war as we knew it –only annihilation. A great American has been killed in the service of his country. Now, it is the job of those who continue to serve to carry on, guarding our freedom with dignity and unrelenting vigilance.”
My Thoughts on “The Hundred Days of the Dragon”
The President is an imposter! “The Hundred Days of the Dragon” is a wonderful Cold War-influenced espionage episode of The Outer Limits. It is unique for being a classic political-science fiction Manchurian Candidate narrative, devoid of any aliens or monsters. With all the sinister “orientalist” racial stereotypes aside –and there are many in this episode– “The Hundred Days of the Dragon” speaks to a variety of deep anxieties that were pervasive in American culture in the early ‘60s, and it stands apart as another brilliant Outer Limits episode.
The Outer Limits Trivia:
- “The Hundred Days of the Dragon” was the seventh episode produced, but the second episode of The Outer Limits to air.
- This episode about two months before the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
- This was the first of six episodes directed by Byron Haskin.
- This was the first episode to air that was shot by classic Outer Limits Director of Photography Conrad Hall
- Sidney Blackmer (1895-1973) plays President Selby. His acting career began with an appearance in the silent classic serial The Perils of Pauline (1914). In his extensive filmography, he appeared in many movies like The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) and Rosemary’s Baby (1968). He also appeared in shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Bonanza.
- In this episode, Selby is missing half the third finger on his left hand. Previously, actor Sidney Blackmer starred in the film Third Finger, Left Hand (1940).
- Phillip Pine (1920-2006) plays Vice President Theodore “Ted” Pearson. He also appeared in two classic Twilight Zone episodes (“The Four of Us Are Dying” and “The Incredible World of Horace Ford”), Perry Mason, Wagon Train, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and an episode of Star Trek (“The Savage Curtain’).
- Clarence Lung (1914-1993) plays Ho Chi-Wong.
- Richard Loo (1903-1983) plays Li-Chin Sung. He was one of the most prominent Asian actors in Hollywood in the ‘30s and ‘40s. He appeared in movies like The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933), The Good Earth (1937), and many other films as well as the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).
For a sci-fi TV episode metaphorizing how the people in power are not who we might think they are (as common as it may particularly seem in the genre), this was an interesting sign of how far the OL was prepared to go. Thank you for your review.